Review

Redwolf Labs Gas Comparison Test

We at Redwolf recently conducted a test of an array of different airsoft gas propellants available in Hong Kong today. We tested TOP, an industry staple for many years. SUPER POWER, a no-name brand of propellant. Classic Army, a propellant with a heavy silicone mix. Guarder, a gas with a mixed reputation as to how effective it is. WE-Tech Gas, a cheap, popular gas in Hong Kong. V-Gas, Vega Force Co.'s attempt at an effective gas. Airsoft Surgeon RWA Gas, the latest gas available. Black2 Gas, Reputed to have a good cooldown curve. Finally; Puff Dino Gas, a gas also reputed to have a good cooldown curve.

While we are aware that there is a great deal more variety of gasses available on the market, we are limited to those available in the Hong Kong area and did our best to test a wide variety of gases.

To see how we conducted the test, play the video below, otherwise to skip straight to the results, scroll past the video until the table of numbers.

Raw Data:

Looking at the raw data provided on the Per-Shot fps graph, it is difficult to tell much about the trend of each graph as the data is messy and disorganized. One thing that can be ascertained from the graph is that most gases had a first shot velocity of 332 feet per second. This can be attributed to the excellent consistency due to tight manufacturing tolerances of the Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa model used in the testing.

To make the data more readable the next graph plotted is a 3-shot moving average. This takes the average of 3 consecutive shots and iterates along the data. Further explained, the first plot is the average of the first, second and third shots, while the second plot is an average of the second, third and fourth shots, etcetera.

The Power Loss chart is not exactly correctly named, as we are actually measuring percentage velocity loss, and while power is measured in watts, we are referring to the common misnomer of describing the muzzle velocity of an airsoft gun as its power.

This value was calculated as the percentage decrease between the average of the first three shots and the last three shots. What we can tell from this chart is the percentage decrease in muzzle velocity over 8 shots fired at the rate of which the gasses were tested.

While Airsoft Surgeon RWA Gas seems to have little to no power loss at 0.5%, we remind you that this not characteristic of combat situations. In a close quarter environment, more than 8 shots are likely to be fired, and in much more rapid succession than in the test, thus the 0.5% loss would be greater over the initial 8 shots and the following shots at an even lower power. Not to forget, the same applies to the rest of the gasses which, according to this chart, would show more drastic power loss given a skirmish environment.

The Average Power Variation chart shows the average difference from the average muzzle velocity overall, the calculation used for this, however, did not take into account the decreasing trend of the velocities measured and is therefore skewed by the cooldown efficiency of the gas. But taking into account that cooldown is also a factor of the stability of the gas, the charts does represent each gas?s stability.

Finally we plotted a graph showing the trend line of the Airsoft Surgeon RWA gas. This gas showed the flattest gradient of trend line. From this graph we can conclude, that Airsoft Surgeon RWA Gas was the most powerful after 10 shots and due to the flat gradient of the trend line exhibits the best cooldown profile.

As a closing note there are errors in the conduction of this test and improvements to be made to bring it closer to the scientific method. Repetition and averages is the key to scientific accuracy, and strictly following the established scientific method would require us to perform the test 10 times with each gas, allowing time to stabilize the temperature in between tests. That is not within the scope of our capabilities as our method (1 hour of waiting in between tests) would result in over 90 hours of continuous testing. In addition to this, putting nearly 1000 shots though a Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa would inevitably cause wear and degradation of the internal parts. This would affect the reliability of the results towards the end of the experiment.

In the end, time, logistical, and practicality restraints have limited the scope and depth of the experiment, but it doesn't necessarily invalidate its findings, just it's accuracy.